If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

alex, just like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so are the concepts of what is right or wrong.

what some see as taboo, others view as normal.

The Bible is not flawed, it is our notion of what the Bible is that is flawed.

the Bible contains history, facts, and opinions, most of the NT is opinions, some history, and some facts
it does not contain lies.
if you asked me about abortion and someone asked you about abortion there would be two different opinions, though they would be contradictory to each other, neither is wrong.

when we start to view opinions as right or wrong we create a divide and each side thinks they are right and the other side is flawed.
example, prochoice / prolife, the death penalty, how to fix the deficit, and so on.

a Christian is someone who follows Christ, no where does Jesus say anything about the New Testament. So when you say Christian you are including all followers, and we have many different beliefs, just like Hinduism and Buddhism.

Shrew, a christian is what you say it is.

But the Christian religion is held together by the bible.....that is a fact.

I don't think there is a single denomination within the christian religion that doesn't follow the bible is some way.

There are three things that ALL christian denominations follow:

#1 God (this god is nameless.....although in the OT his name is Yahweh, and it is in fact the same god that All christians believe in)

#2 Jesus (this is the guy from the NT, his life (some of it anyways) is chronicled in there)

#3 The Bible...

So these 3 beliefs is what unites ALL Christians in the world.

The first one has ZERO proof of existing.....ZERO!

However, I don't have a problem with people believing in god.....on the surface it's quite harmless.

The Second, probably did exist but we have ZERO proof of his miracles.....

I'm actually more than OK with this Jesus guy.....in fact I WISH more people would follow some of his teachings in respect to love, compassion, treating others as you would want to be treated, not being greedy, helping the poor, the needy, the hungry, the desperate.

The third is where the Majority of my problem lies in.

This book is what both unites and DIVIDES all christians in this world.

It is because of this book that we have so many problems.

You can deny this all you want Shrew, but I can show evidence of this claim.

Ultimately, despite the great teachings of this Jesus....the religion suffers because the bible is so convoluted, is so full of multiple meanings, and really does NOT do a good job of guiding human beings.

the Bible can't do anything it is a book, it is the human part that is the issue.

if you say the works of peter were the works of God or Jesus you would be wrong. if you said the works of peter were about peters beliefs and understanding of God you would be right. if you said what peter wrote is the corect way to live according to God you would be both wrong and right. how?
because peter wrote what he knew as the truth, but he was peter, not paul, not Jesus, not thomas, just peter. he wrote with the best intentions, but they were his intentions. does this make peter a liar? only if our opposing views on abortion makes one of us a liar.
it is humans who try to use the bible as the direct word of God that is flawed, not the bible.
again, no where does it say God or Jesus or both wrote the NT, we know They did not, no where does Jesus or God or Both say follow the NT.

so sure they share the bible, but the bible is a sacred text not a God nor the book written by God.

just like a gun doesn't commit the crime, the criminal does. the Bible is not flawed, it is our view on what the bible is that is flawed.

But when a human uses these items, they can inflict terrible damage....unspeakable damage!

The bible has some fault in this.....it is NOT any ordinary book that can create such havoc, chaos, and danger.

BTW....would you not agree that the Koran (just as the bible) is used by people to do horrific things.

Yes, at the end of the day the person is doing these actions....I get that, but they are influenced in a negative way by what is written in these books.

On the same token someone can be influenced by a Stephen King horror novel to do bad things. If someone is already screwed up in the head anything can set them off. A book, something they hear on the news, they could have a bad day at work, an argument with their wife, or anything else that you can think of.